


Visions of Harley

by voyagerthirteen



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Angst, Break Up, Harley Keener as Iron Lad, Hurt No Comfort, M/M, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker isn't Spider-Man, Song: Visions of Gideon (Sufjan Stevens), Song: When I Was Your Man (Bruno Mars), Suffer Lmao, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:22:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27978804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/voyagerthirteen/pseuds/voyagerthirteen
Summary: There is only so much invisibility one can endure before they demand to be seen. Peter has reached his limit. Harley can't see that until it's too late.
Relationships: Harley Keener/Peter Parker
Comments: 1
Kudos: 76





	Visions of Harley

**Author's Note:**

> As promised. Angst.

> Same bed but it feels just a little bit bigger now  
> Our song on the radio but it don't sound the same  
> When our friends talk about you, all it does is just tear me down  
> 'Cause my heart breaks a little when I hear your name
> 
> -bruno mars

It’s late when Peter hears the front door open and close, the glaring red of his alarm clock says it’s almost 3 am. Harley is home late… again. With a defeated sigh, Peter rolls back over and tries to fall back asleep. Though he can’t help but listen as Harley steps over onto Peter’s side of the bedroom, can’t help the butterflies that swarm in his stomach when his boyfriend presses an apologetic kiss to his temple. “I’m sorry,” he whispers into the darkness. Then, when he realizes he isn’t getting a response out of Peter, he goes to shower. It’s some five minutes later when Harley comes back, smelling of body wash, shampoo, and toothpaste. He wraps his arm around Peter’s waist and kisses a chaste kiss to the back of his neck.

It is like this for the following weeks.

At first, Peter forgave him, he always did. _I’m dating a superhero, this comes with the territory,_ he’d tell himself after it became apparent that these late-night arrivals were going to become more common. The first time Harley went on a mission and didn’t tell Peter, their argument was thunderous, which isn’t surprising. “You- you can’t just do that, Harley! Do you forget that there’s someone expecting you to come home?! With no call or text! Hell, not even a note to tell me you won't be back for a few days!” Peter had shouted, relief and anger and exhaustion making a home in his voice. Harley promised to do better. And he did… for a while. 

Then the late-night returns, the early morning disappearances, the radio silence missions where they don’t talk for weeks come back. And Peter is slowly reaching his limit.

He realizes that this relationship is over when May asks, “Are you dating anyone?” and Peter, without thinking, without a single hesitation, says no. Because deep down, underneath everything he and Harley could have been, he isn’t dating anyone. Peter has been giving more than Harley can take for a while now, with the tap turned off and reality rapping at his door, he’s decided.

It’s late when Harley comes home, earlier than usual, but still late. He doesn’t register the sight before him immediately, it’s slow, seeing the suitcase and then Peter holding said suitcase. It doesn’t _click_ until Peter is standing in front of him. “Peter? Baby-” 

Peter flinches almost as if Harley has somehow struck him, in a way he has. “Don’t call me baby.” Harley blinks in confusion, then, “Sugar?” as if the pet name was the problem. Peter shakes his head, wiping at his eyes. “Stop with the stupid pet names! They won’t be enough to persuade me.” Harley, quicker than last time, picks up on the problem. “I got caught up with Shield again and-” he tries to stammer out, tries to get Peter to understand. “No, I know, how important your work is to you. Take pride in what you do, Harley.”

“That’s so selfish of you to say it like that.” it slips out before Harley can really grasp what he’s said. If Peter was battling with his second thoughts before, he sure as hell isn’t now. “You’re right,” he agrees, laughing dryly, and takes a step back from Harley when he tries to reach out for him. “I am being selfish, I wish I was that important to you. Harley, when you suddenly vanish for days or weeks and don’t even think to mention it… to _call_? Do you know how much I worry? Do you worry about me like I worry about you? Or do you even worry at all?” Peter talks over Harley’s quiet ‘of course I worry, ba- Peter’. “Let’s just- let’s just spend the weekend together, try to fix this, yeah?” Harley pleads.

“No, Harley! I have tried and _tried_ to fix this but you’re never here! Even right now-” Peter snaps in front of Harley, can see how his eyes finally focus on him. “My point exactly. I’d probably spend more time with you as a hostage than as your boyfriend! You have to see the problem with this!” Peter’s crying now, he said he wouldn’t, promised himself he wouldn’t. When Harley tries to wipe his eyes Peter jerks back and wipes them himself. “I was stupid for falling in love with you. I knew damn well that you couldn’t love me too.” he shakes his head and picks up his suitcase. 

“What is that supposed to mean?” Harley watches as Peter walks to the front door. With his hand on the knob, he sniffles. “There won’t be a day I won’t worry about you until one of us dies… there won’t be a day when I don’t look up and hope to see you in the sky. God Harley, I loved you so much, I gave you all I had… but apparently, it was more than you could take.” Peter sobs and Harley wants nothing more than to comfort him.

“Baby-”

“This is goodbye, Harley.”

Without another word, Peter leaves.

> I have loved you for the last time  
> Is it a video? Is it a video?  
> I have touched you for the last time  
> Is it a video? Is it a video?
> 
> -sufjan stevens

**Author's Note:**

> I do hope you liked it! I haven't written something sad in a while so this was a nice change. As always here's the link to the parkner discord server https://discord.gg/kJtRJqvEv7


End file.
